Netflix looking to sell originals
After years of touting exclusive content, Netflix is now looking into potentially licensing some older movies and series to other distribution partners to extend the investment on their original productions. One potential caveat would be that the licensing rights would only go to ad-supported channels or streaming services.
The NPD Take:
- Netflix seems to be taking their strategy full circle. The move would be another way to generate revenue and deliver brand awareness on catalog content that doesn’t drive new subscriptions while still maintaining the exclusivity of fresh content on their own platform to bring in new subscribers.
- A distribution partnership with Netflix could be a win for networks, bringing in new content without having to increase production budgets.
Amazon expands reach of free news app
Amazon is expanding the reach of the free news app on Fire TV by adding 88 local news channels. The local channels can be found on the “Local News” tab of the Fire TV news app. Fire TV will detect the closest metro area and populate the local news for the viewers’ region. The addition of local news joins other national news channels already part of the service such as ABC News Live, CBS News, etc.
The NPD Take:
- By expanding access to local news, consumers will be more likely to engage with Amazon Video daily which in turn could also lead to discovery of other programming offered by the service.
- News programming is one of the last bastions beholding consumers to traditional Pay-TV services. As OTT services continue to evolve their program offerings there is less incentive for viewers to hang onto expensive cable packages.
NFL goes digital
The NFL signed a major rights renewal worth more than $100B to bring games to existing partners and exclusively to Amazon for Thursday Night Football starting in 2023. In addition to streaming on Amazon, the NFL will also live stream exclusive games on Peacock, ESPN+, and Paramount+. The move will help reach consumers who prefer broadcast television and cord cutters.
The NPD Take:
- The NFL wants to be available to as many viewers as possible by expanding reach across digital platforms. The new deal highlights the turn away from broadcast and towards digital.
- Amazon scoring the exclusive Thursday Night Football line-up further aligns with diversifying content to increase engagement.